Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcat Star Troy Andersen Participates in Reese's Senior Bowl on Saturday
2/4/2022 4:55:00 PM | Football
Bobcat star wears number 45 for National Team
BOZEMAN, Montana –Brent Vigen spent most of the last year watching Troy Andersen doing amazing things on the football field, so the buzz Montana State's star linebacker generated in workouts leading up to Saturday's Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, didn't surprise the Bobcats' second-year head coach.
But it still seems a little surreal to him.
"They're all finding out what we already knew," Vigen says, and social media feeds over the past week back that up. Andersen was tabbed by several analysts and experts as one of the most impressive players in Mobile. Andersen wears number 45 for the National team on Saturday. New York Jets coach Robert Salleh and his coaching staff lead the National squad, with long-time NFL assistant Mike Rutenberg coaching the linebackers.
One analyst that has praised Andersen, Devin Jackson of nola.com and Blue Chip Scout calls the Bobcat All-America "a true Will or Sam 'backer, an off-ball 'backer, where you can put him in situations where you throw him on the tight end or you throw him on the running back and eliminate that receiving ability."
Jackson says "Andersen has the length and size to eliminate" the impact of running backs and tight ends as pass-catchers. Montana State linebackers coach Bobby Daly, himself a one-time Bobcat All-America linebacker, says the physical attributes Andersen has displayed this week have caught evaluators by surprise.
"I think everyone is surprised by not only his athleticism but his size," Daly said. "A lot of times we get one or the other coming out of Montana, but Troy has a rare combination of both."
Jackson also cited another of Andersen's irrefutable attributes. "What I saw this week was more details, or attention to details, from Andersen," he said. "Not only was he able to diagnose plays and be able to see what's going on in front of him and close, but on play action he was finding the correct depth, finding the dep thirds or the deep halves of the field, being underneath the deep crossing routes the offense was trying to throw at him."
Former Bobcat football coach Jeff Choate once said that Andersen's career would sooner or later read like a fable or tall tale akin to Paul Bunyan, and that doesn't seem like a reach. Andersen earned Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2017 playing primarily running back, although he also started games at linebacker. The next year he was All-America as MSU's quarterback, leading the Bobcats to the FCS Playoffs, and in 2019 he earned All-America honors as an outside linebacker. Finally, in 2021, playing middle linebacker, Andersen earned FCS Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Andersen's academic work garnered at least as much attention as his production on the playing field. He was honored as a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete in2021, one of 13 players chosen and the only one from the FCS. He also earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors as a senior.
Saturday's Reese's Senior Bowl begins at 12:30 pm MT and airs on the NFL Network.
#GoCatsGo
But it still seems a little surreal to him.
"They're all finding out what we already knew," Vigen says, and social media feeds over the past week back that up. Andersen was tabbed by several analysts and experts as one of the most impressive players in Mobile. Andersen wears number 45 for the National team on Saturday. New York Jets coach Robert Salleh and his coaching staff lead the National squad, with long-time NFL assistant Mike Rutenberg coaching the linebackers.
One analyst that has praised Andersen, Devin Jackson of nola.com and Blue Chip Scout calls the Bobcat All-America "a true Will or Sam 'backer, an off-ball 'backer, where you can put him in situations where you throw him on the tight end or you throw him on the running back and eliminate that receiving ability."
Jackson says "Andersen has the length and size to eliminate" the impact of running backs and tight ends as pass-catchers. Montana State linebackers coach Bobby Daly, himself a one-time Bobcat All-America linebacker, says the physical attributes Andersen has displayed this week have caught evaluators by surprise.
"I think everyone is surprised by not only his athleticism but his size," Daly said. "A lot of times we get one or the other coming out of Montana, but Troy has a rare combination of both."
Jackson also cited another of Andersen's irrefutable attributes. "What I saw this week was more details, or attention to details, from Andersen," he said. "Not only was he able to diagnose plays and be able to see what's going on in front of him and close, but on play action he was finding the correct depth, finding the dep thirds or the deep halves of the field, being underneath the deep crossing routes the offense was trying to throw at him."
Former Bobcat football coach Jeff Choate once said that Andersen's career would sooner or later read like a fable or tall tale akin to Paul Bunyan, and that doesn't seem like a reach. Andersen earned Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2017 playing primarily running back, although he also started games at linebacker. The next year he was All-America as MSU's quarterback, leading the Bobcats to the FCS Playoffs, and in 2019 he earned All-America honors as an outside linebacker. Finally, in 2021, playing middle linebacker, Andersen earned FCS Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Andersen's academic work garnered at least as much attention as his production on the playing field. He was honored as a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete in2021, one of 13 players chosen and the only one from the FCS. He also earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors as a senior.
Saturday's Reese's Senior Bowl begins at 12:30 pm MT and airs on the NFL Network.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
RB/LB
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